828Team RWBY.
The name echoed over and over again in her mind, an infinite, repeating loop.
Team RWBY.
Team RWBY.
Team RWBY.
She memorized every contour of their faces from their pictures on the television screen. The endless repeating images gave her plenty of time to process their visage, their shapes, and poses, posture, and the many expressions carved on each of their distinct faces. The sheepish, nerdy girl in red. The stoic heiress with hair like snow. The sullen dark one with the bow. The bright firebrand whose smile glowed and lit up the room.
She watched them. News interviews. Photographs. Video of the Grimm encounter from new, unsettling angles each time. Combat. Endless combat, filtered through processing loops and fed directly into her Soul for study. They fought like no one she had ever seen before. Those weapons… so unique, their styles so perfectly blended together. She noted the way they leaned upon each other during their interviews, the subtle grins and graces they would grant one another through their conversations. Friends. That's what they were, correct? Friends? The term seemed like a taboo.
The Heroes of Vale. Grimm Killers, they called themselves. What was a Grimm? She didn't know. She could not recall. It must have never been important enough for her to learn about. But she wanted to know now. She wanted to touch its dampened black coat and smell every vile odor that oozed from its mouth like the dark liquid that spilled from its wounds. She wanted to feel its breath pushing against her skin. How terrible would that be? Would it horrify her? Repulse her? What a marvelous, tempting sensation that would be. How she longed for a battle against a Grimm so she could marvel in its grotesque splendor.
"They certainly are something."
That voice—her handler. She didn't really care right now. She was focused on the details of the face of the girl with red hair and glasses. Such a meek, fragile-looking thing. Easily breakable, and yet she held her own against a monstrosity. How deeply curious. And that weapon. So different, like peering into a portal to another world. Different than her own tools of destruction, and yet all still capable of slicing through beasts and battalions.
"Crazy that a bunch of Valian students could take down that monster. Don't you agree?"
Agree? They were asking her something. She should answer.
"They are truly fascinating. I like their name."
They didn't seem to like that answer.
"Their name? All that and you're most impressed by their name."
"My apologies."
"Don't be sorry. Just be focused. They are your enemies, remember?"
Enemies? She didn't see why that had to be the case at all. They seemed quite friendly. Pleasant. Deadly… but who wasn't these days? She was sure she could make friends with them if given the chance. Oh, wait. If given the chance. How foolish of her. That wasn't an option.
"I understand. But they are impressive enemies, aren't they?"
They sighed. "Maybe. I know they don't compare to you."
She smiled. Not just at the compliment, but at the reminder of her own purpose. It was best not to get carried away with illusions of what she was not. She had her mission, one that she could not fail. It was why she was allowed to exist. Team RWBY—she wondered if they had a purpose of their own outside of killing Grimm. If they could exist as anything other than the Heroes of Vale. It was a silly question, but it triggered something deep inside her mind. She would have to think about it later when she had free time. Oh, wait. How could she forget? She had no free time. Just her mission. Just her purpose.
To fight.
To destroy.
For Atlas.
Her name was Penny Polendina. She was the Living Weapon… and all those who challenged her Kingdom would be felled by her blade.
Let Us Dance in the Flames
A Sequel
6.15.22